LEAWOOD, Kan. — The American Academy of Family Physicians has named 17 medical school Family Medicine Interest Groups as winners of the 2013 Program of Excellence Award for their outstanding activities in generating interest in family medicine.

Award winners will be honored during an Aug. 1 ceremony at the AAFP National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students in Kansas City.

FMIGs are medical school-sponsored, student and faculty-run organizations that give medical students a chance to learn more about family medicine through regular meetings, workshops, leadership development opportunities, and community and clinical experiences. The Program of Excellence Awards recognize FMIGs for their outstanding performance in organizational operation, community service, promoting the value of family medicine as primary care, promoting the scope of family medicine, exposing residents to family medicine and family physicians, professional development and measures of success.

“Family medicine interest groups are essential to helping medical students understand the professional challenge and satisfaction of being a family physician,” said Perry Pugno, MD, MPH, vice president of education at the AAFP. “All of this year’s award winners have done outstanding work in giving students the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge they’ve acquired in the classroom, develop leadership skills that will serve them in their future practices and communities, and better understand the vital role that family medicine plays in our health care system.”

In addition to honoring 10 FMIGs for their overall performance, the AAFP Program of Excellence Awards recognizes a first-time applicant, a most improved program and five winners in specific areas: FMIG operation, collaboration, community services, exposure to family medicine and family physicians, and promoting the value of primary care.

This year’s awards were the most competitive on record, with more interest groups submitting applications than any other year, according to Pugno. The awards have been given for 15 years, and there are more than 140 FMIGs operating on allopathic medical school campuses across the nation.

Winners of the overall 2013 Program of Excellence Award Recipients are:

Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California Family Medicine Interest Group

Medical College of Wisconsin Family Medicine Student Association

Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine Family Medicine Interest Group

Saint Louis University School of Medicine Family Medicine Interest Group

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Family Medicine Interest Group

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine Family Medicine Interest Group

University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Family Medicine Interest Group

University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Family Medicine Interest Group

Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa Family Medicine Interest Group

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Student Family Medicine Association

Winners in specific categories are:

Special Consideration for First Time Applicant: The Commonwealth Medical College Family Medicine Interest Group

Special Consideration for Most Improved FMIG: University of Kansas School of Medicine, Wichita, Family Medicine Interest Group

Excellence in FMIG Operation: University of Kansas School of Medicine Family Medicine Interest Group

Excellence in Collaboration: Wayne State University School of Medicine Family Medicine Interest Group

Excellence in Community Service: East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine Family Medicine Interest Group

Excellence in Exposure to Family Medicine and Family Physicians: University of Texas Health Science

Center School of Medicine at San Antonio Family Medicine Interest Group

Excellence in Promoting the Scope of Family Medicine: Alpert Medical School of Brown University Family Medicine Interest Group

The winning applications are posted online to facilitate the sharing of best practices and programming ideas among FMIGs nationwide

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Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 124,900 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.

Family physicians conduct approximately one in five office visits -- that’s 192 million visits annually or 48 percent more than the next most visited medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care.